On a night like this, Jakartans wanted to stay forever

Goddess: Kylie Minogue performs in Jakarta as part of her “Aphrodite Tour 2011”. JP/NurhayatiMany stars have come and performed in Jakarta, but so far no stars have performed on a Monday night and at such a far and away venue — literally outside Jakarta. Well, at least not until Kylie Minogue.

Last Monday, the 42-year-old diva finally entertained over 5,000 diehard fans at Sentul International Convention Center for two hours of what The Jakarta Post can only describe as one of the most glamorous concerts ever to happen in Jakarta.

But, hours before the concert began, we were frustrated with the massive traffic along the toll road to the venue.

Only three and a half hours and numerous updated statuses on Facebook and Twitter later did The Post finally arrive.

Unfortunately, by then we had already missed Kylie’s fabulous grand opening overture and first song, “Aphrodite”. Nevertheless it was worth all the effort in the end.

Kylie Minogue’s “Aphrodite Tour 2011” was as fantastic as we had imagined (or seen on YouTube). From the façade of a large Roman temple look-alike as the background, amazing multimedia visual artwork and (extremely) sexy dancers and their ever-changing costumes and props to Kylie Minogue’s talked about Dolce & Gabbana costumes, everything was just simply mind-blowing.

But, Kylie Minogue had more than just a great presentation. At the concert, she showed Jakarta not only great stamina but also perfect vocals throughout the entire evening.

Over 20 of her famed singles from the 80s and 90s to songs from her latest album Aphrodite were performed. Jakarta fans have been predicting her set list since last month, and most were correct.

Still, it wouldn’t be a Kylie concert if there weren’t any surprises. Right after singing “Everything Is Beautiful”, she suddenly sang her uber sexy single from 2003, “Slow” from Body Language in a slow jazz arrangement that was not on any set list predictions for her Asian tour.

Surely the highlight of the concert was when Kylie sang “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” from Fever. The audience went into a frenzy when Kylie started singing the “La la la la la la la la” from the song.

In a pre-recorded interview, Kylie told us she always prepared a segment to sing an audience request. And guess what?

She really did it — the famous first single from back in 1987, “Locomotion”. She also offered a bonus by singing a little refrain from another hit from 1989, “Hand On Your Heart”.

Almost all of Jakarta’s who’s who was at the concert to see this long-awaited performance, though it was no surprise to see that more “boys” had flocked to see this diva in action.

Most of the audience agreed that this Kylie concert really was worth all the pain that they had to suffer on the way to the venue.

One of Indonesia’s top models, Aline Adita, told us there was only one word to describe this concert: “Spectacular!”

Mighty Aphrodite: Singer Kylie Minogue entertains Jakartans at Sentul International Convention Center on Monday. JP/Nurhayati“Kylie has successfully showed her credibility as a true entertainer for over 20 years. I was amazed by the whole concept, from the rundown of the songs, stage, world-class dancers, stunning backing vocals and band, lighting, visuals and the stunning D&G wardrobe that was just to die for. The show really gave me shivers from beginning to the end. It was a totally wonderful experience.”

Another diehard Kylie fan, Dedi Koswara, also believed the long wait was really worth it.

“She showed us total dedication tonight as an artist. It was really a well-thought out show, starting from concept, props to even the carefully chosen songs that constantly kept us happy. I really say kudos to Kylie!”

If there is one entertainer who knows how to sell sensuality, then it must be Kylie Minogue.

She totally understands her target audience and gave a performance that really impressed her crowd to the maximum. We are all indeed Kylie lovers.